Consumer Direction of Personal Assistance Services in Medicaid: A Review of Four State Programs

With a shift towards providing long-term services and supports in the community, policy interest in Medicaid consumer direction of personal assistance services (CD-PAS) has grown. Although overall enrollment in these programs is small, 42 states offered consumer direction in Medicaid in 2006. These programs allow Medicaid beneficiaries control over hiring, scheduling, training and paying of personal care attendants. The Kaiser Family Foundation’s Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured has produced two new reports examining Medicaid’s role in providing CD-PAS in four states: California, Colorado, New York and Virginia.

http://www.kff.org/medicaid/kcmu032408pkg.cfm